The end of the northern white rhino species is inevitable. However, the Frozen Zoo at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research may be one of the last hopes scientists have for the survival of the rhino species.
The northern white rhino species is already extinct in the wild, and the handful numbers in captivity are also on the verge of becoming extinct. There are currently only five northern white rhinos on Earth: one at the San Diego Zoo, three at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya and one in Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic.
The San Diego Zoo had a male rhino of the critically endangered species but it died in December 2014. The only other rhino of this species at the San Diego Zoo is Nola, a female rhino who is also near the end of her life and cannot breed.
The remaining five northern white rhinos may soon be gone, but the Frozen Zoo has hopes that the extinct species may still make a comeback in the future. The futuristic technology needed to bring the northern white rhino back to life is still not there, but the scientists at the Frozen Zoo have already collected semen and egg samples from the existing rhinos, which will be needed later on to bring back the extinct animal.
"You have to be optimistic, but you have to be willing to accept that you're going to fail sometimes," said Barbara Durrant, director of reproductive physiology at the institute. "This is not for the faint of heart."
The Frozen Zoo already contains over 19,000 tissue, sperm and egg samples from about 1,200 animals, which represent 310 species. All the samples are contained within tanks that are housed in subfreezing temperatures with the help of liquid nitrogen.
The semen and eggs may be used for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). However, the process is complicated and can damage the egg, and has also been tried on rhinos only once but failed. If an embryo of the endangered rhino is well sustained, then it can be transferred to a female southern white rhino. This process has been attempted by scientists.
Frozen Zoo officials suggest that it will be a difficult task, but scientists hope to succeed one day. Funding such effort is also very difficult, and the Frozen Zoo hopes to get enough funds to speed up its research.
